Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-09-22
ALLAN QUARTERNAIN.
OR
A BROWNING CITY.

themselves upon the dark mass of Elmor-
an, hewing, thrusting, Staying, and being
slain. And ever above the din rose Goods
awful yell of encouragement as he plunged,
eyeglass and ali, to wherever the fight was
thicllest: and ever, with an almost ma
chinelillc regularity, the two axes rose
and fell carrying death and disablement
at every stroke. But I could see that the
strain was beginning to tell upon Sir Hen
~, who vas bleeding from several flesh
wounds: his breath was coming in gasps,
and the veins stood out on his forehead like
blue and knotted cords. Even UmsIOpogaas
man cf icon that he was, was hard pressed
I noticed hat he had given up ''woodpeck-
ing" anj was now using the broad blade
Of Inkosikaasi, browning" his enemy
whereyec he could hit him, instead of
drilling scientific holes in mis- head I my
self did not 80 into the melee, but lowered
outside ike the swift "back' in football
scrimnage, putting q bullet through a
Nasal Whenever got chance. was Of
more use SO. fired forty-nine cartridges
that morning, and l did not miss many
shots
Presently, do as we would, the beam of
the balance began to rise against u.s. We
lIelO IOU IllOLC Uiltll ulIGEu OE SlAIGGn Gl-
fectives left nov, and the Nasal had at
least fifty. Of course if they had kept their
heads, and shaken themselves together
they could soon have made an end Of the
matter; but that is just what they did not
do, not having yet recovered from their
start, and some Of them having actually
fed from their sleeping-places without
their weapons. Still by this time many In
dividuals were fighting with their normal
courage and discretion, and this alone was
sufficient to defeat US. To make matters
worse, just then, when Mr.. MackenZie's
rifle was empty, q braWny savage armed
with "sime," or sword, made q rush for
him. The clergyman flung down his gun,
and, drawing his huge carver from his
elastic belt CHS revolver having dropped
out in the fight, they closed in desperate
struggle. 1t really was u sight to see that
good but angular man go in-cOat tails,
brOad-brinmed hat, carving-lznife, and all.
They say that nobody is so bitter as an
apostate, SO on the same principle, for
fighting purposes at q pinch commend me
to q man of peace. At any rate, Macken-
zie's play with the carving-knife was some
thing beautiful; though | fear that the So
ciety of Friends would not have approved of
this way of converting the heathen."
Presently locked in a close embrace, mis-
sionary and Nasal rolled on the ground
behind the wall, and for some time l, being
amply occupied with my own affairs, and
in keeping my skin from being pricked,
remained i'll ignorance of his fate or how
the duel had ended.
To and fro surged the fight, slowly turn
ing round like the vortex of a human
Whirlpool and things began to look very
bad Tor us. just then, however, a FORUM
ate thing happened. I nslopogaas, either
by accident or design, broke out OF the
ring and engaged a warrior at some few
PAGES from it. AS he did so, another man
ran up ard struck him with all his force
between the shoulders with his great spear,
which, falling on the tough steel shirt,
failed to pierce it and reb0unded For
moment the man stared aghast-prOtective
armor being unknown among these tribes
and then he yelled out at the top of his
voice
''They are deUuS-bclUttchcd bclUitchedm
And, seized by a sudden panic, he threw
down his spear and began to fly. [ cut
short his career with bullet, and Umslop-
ogaas Drained his man; and then the panic
spread to the others.
'BelUttched, belUitcIledr' they cried, and
tried to escape in every direction, utterly
demoralized and broken rited, for the
most part even throwing down their shields
and spears.
On the last scene of the dreadful fight ]
need not dwell. 1t was a slaughter great
and grim, in which no quarter was asked
or given. One incident, however, is worth
detailing. Just I was hoping that ii
was all done with, suddenly, from under
heap of slain where he had been hiding,
an unWounded warrior sprang up, AMI,
clearing the piles of dying and dead like an
antelope, sped like the wind up the kraal
toward the spot where I was standing at
the moment. But he was not alone, for
Umslopogaas came gliding on his tracks
with the peculiar swalloW-like motion for
which he was noted; and, as they neared
me, recognized in the Nasal the herald
of the previous night. Finding that, run
as he would, his pursuer was gaining On
him, the man halted and turned round to
give battle. UmslOpogaas also pulled up.
s'Ah, an" he cried to the Elnoran, cit is
thou whom [ talked with last night-the
Lygonani, the herald, the capturer OF little
giris-he who would kill little girl. And
thou didst hope to stand man to man and
face to face with an Induna of the tribe OF
the Maquiisini, of the people of the Anna
zulu? Behold, thy prayer is granted! And
/ did swear to hew thee limb from limb,
thou insolent dog. Behold, I will do it
even now!'
The Nasal ground his teeth with fury,
and charged at the Zulu with his spear.
As he came. Umslopogaas deity stepped
aside, and swinging Inkosikaasi high above
his head with both hands, brought the
broad blade down with such fearful force
from behind upon the Masai's shoulder
just where the neck is set into the frame,
that its razor edge shore right through
bone and flesh and muscle, almost severing
the head and one arm from the body.
''Therer' calculated Umslopogaas, con-
templating the corpse of his foe; 4 have
kept my word. 1t was a good stroke"
CHAPTER vfII.-ALPHoNSE EXPLAINS.
AND so the fight was ended. On turning
from this shocking scene, it suddenly
struck me that had seen nothing OF Al
phonse since the moment, some twenty
minutes before-for though this fight has
taken long while to decribe, it did not